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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · staff · coach · bulb · mine · sharp · leaves · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. degree — an amount
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mine — for digging
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. current — happening now
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. current — of water
  21. staff — employees
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com